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  • terra cotta gnome gnome made from yarn and terra cotta pot
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    Merry Christmas 2023

    It is finally Christmas! From our family to yours, we wish you the happiest Christmas. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, we hope the spirit of this day – the peace and joy – fills your home and heart. Thank you for your time encouraging our family with our house and crafty projects this year. We appreciate you so much. I will be taking time off the blog for the holidays. I anticipate returning to regularly scheduled blog posts in the second week of January. In the meantime, you can always follow what we are up to on Instagram or Facebook. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! P.S.…

  • pink and navy christmas tree how pop culture influenced the popularity of the christmas tree
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    How The Royals Made The Christmas Tree Popular

    Buckle up because we are taking a very quick romp through history to learn the fascinating reason why society is obsessed with Christmas trees today. Because it hasn’t always been that way. Not even close. When you think of a Christmas tree your mind probably conjures up the image of an evergreen tree of some sort. Evergreen trees have long held symbolic meaning for ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Druids. Evergreen trees were believed to be able to keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits, and illness. Evergreens also symbolized life during the winter months when the various sun gods or agriculture gods were believed to be sick. (source) No pressure or…

  • Labor Day 1956 stamp via Wikicommons Media Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Designed by Victor S. McCloskey, Jr., using as source material a photograph of a portion of the mural by Lumen M. Winter located in the AFL-CIO building in Washington, DC. - U.S. Postal Service; National Postal Museum:
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    Labor Day 2023 and A Poem

    Happy Labor Day to those of you celebrating in the United States. I hope you’ve had a fun and relaxing weekend. I’m taking the rest of the week off of the blog to settle into September and this fall season. My kids will be back in school and I imagine my productivity will be off the charts this week. A girl can dream. Speaking of work and Labor Day, I thought I’d share the poem “Something Left Undone” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. His poems always cut straight to my feelings. Something Left Undone by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Labor with what zeal we will, Something still remains undone, Something uncompleted still…

  • cliffs of moher 2017
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    4 Things To Read While I’m Taking A Vacation Week

    Hi! There will be no new blog posts this week as we are taking a vacation week to enjoy the summer with our family. In the meantime, here are 4 things to read until next week when new blog posts will return. The Great Barn Loft Clean Out Believe it or not, the squirrels and other rodents had not entirely destroyed something of interest in this barn…something that helped us date its age. 10 Must-See Places In Ireland If You Like Castles And Nature There are many reasons to visit Ireland beyond having a pint of Guinness and most of them have to do with castles and nature. DIY Wood…

  • flags on memorial day
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    Memorial Day 2023

    Happy Memorial Day to my friends marking this holiday in the U.S. I hope you’ve had a great weekend. There won’t be any new blog posts on the blog this week but don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll be on Instagram or Facebook this week sharing what we’re up to. I’ve also got some things for you to read to tide you over. You can read about how to repurpose a burlap sack into the most patriotic vase cover. There is another patriotic holiday coming up in the U.S., so if this idea inspires you to create something of your own, let me know. I love to live vicariously through your…

  • feet on the lake on the happy list
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    Spring Break 2023

    Hi Friends! I hope you had a great Easter weekend. Just a heads up that I am taking the week off the blog because it is finally Spring Break! I guarantee you I’m more excited than the kids. We will be spending time with friends this week, so I’m looking forward to catching up with them. If you’d like something to read this week, let me recommend one of the following: The Silly Thing We Do That I Love So Much 7 Funny Truths About Moving Check Out These Old Photos Of Our Home 10 Must See Places In Ireland If You Like Castles and Nature As always, thank you…

  • how to turn an old wood ladder into a blanket ladder by removing the top can and adding brass leg tips
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    Turn An Old Wood Ladder Into A Blanket Ladder

    Sometimes the junk gods grant you a gift – an old, nasty wood ladder that’s covered in dirt and spiders that you have to drag out of the trash. Gee, thanks, junk gods. It’s the thought that counts, right? Well, I thought I could turn that old wood ladder into a blanket ladder. The problem with an actual wood ladder that was used for actual laddering to reach high places, is that it just looks like a work ladder not a blanket ladder. This is fine if that’s the look you’re going for in your home. Throw a blanket on it and call it good. No judgment here. I used my…

  • forklift making home delivery
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    October Break

    Hi! This week we are taking time off of actual work to do some work on the house before the winter weather blows in. We’ve been waiting half a lifetime (exaggeration is my specialty today) for materials to show up and they finally arrived last week. That means we can dive into fixing something that’s needed to be fixed for ages. Will we get it done this week? Hmm… Well, it’s always good to start out with an optimistic spirit, right? If we don’t encounter anything unexpected then I think it’s possible to get it 95% done. We’ve never started a project here where we haven’t encountered something unexpected, but…

  • Fall Coffee Table with Blue Accents tiffany bowl
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    5 Fall Decorating Tricks To Give Your Home Cozy Vibes

    I have learned a few tricks to give my home cozy, fall vibes without using fall-specific home decor. It’s a subtle, but surprisingly effective approach. Other than Christmas, I don’t keep much seasonal-specific decor on hand. I’ve never had room to store those items and tend to skew a bit more minimalistic on the decor spectrum anyway. It’s a good thing for me that there are some easy tricks to make my home look and feel ready for fall without having to hang an “it’s fall y’all” sign. (No shade intended.) In fact, you might like these ideas so much you use them all year. That’s what I do. My…

  • inner tubes on a beach living in the moment
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    Vacation Week

    Hi! I’m taking a vacation week to spend time with family before school starts! I can hardly believe how fast this summer is flying by. Before I know it we’ll be back to our school routines and we’ll be missing these carefree days of summer. I’ll be back next week with fresh new blog posts! Until then, please follow along on Instagram or Facebook to see what we are up to this week. If you’d like a few things to read while I’m away, try one of these favorites: Copycat Dave’s Killer Bread Recipe Living in Ireland: Practical Advice for Americans How to Make a DIY Brass Pumpkin How to Remove Ring Around the…